Staying safe while on a cruise

Lipcon, Marguiles, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A

September 21, 2008

New book: Passengers shouldn’t leave their common sense behind

By JAY CLARKE
InRich.com

You’re off on a long-dreamed-of vacation, a cruise to sunny Caribbean islands. You’re on a big cruise liner with a couple thousand other passengers. There are doctors and nurses on board, locks on your stateroom door, lots of public spaces, and ship personnel at your beck and call. Safety isn’t something to worry about.

“The problem is, people don’t think anything bad can happen,” Lipcon said in an interview. But as on any vacation, things can go wrong even on a cruise ship, he said, and passengers need to keep their guard up.

Most importantly, he said, don’t leave your common sense behind.

“Getting on a cruise ship is like traveling to a strange city. Take some precautions,” Lipcon said.

You wouldn’t walk alone at night in a strange city; don’t do it on a cruise ship. You wouldn’t go to a stranger’s room ashore; don’t go to a crew member’s room on board.

Those are some of the safety tips that Lipcon gives in his book.

“That’s the reason I wrote the book – to tell passengers how to avoid problems,” said the Miami attorney, who has filed many lawsuits on behalf of clients who experienced problems aboard ship.

“When you get on a cruise ship, you’re not in the United States anymore,” he warned. The laws of the ship’s country of registry aren’t the same as those in America, and you might not get the protections. Medical care is limited and may not be up to U.S. standards.

Passengers having too good a time at a ship bar also could be at risk, Lipcon writes. “Fueled by firewater, people do crazy things.” Young women in particular can fall prey to the date-rape drug. His advice to them: Only drink beverages you have witnessed being prepared, and ask that bottled drinks come unopened. “That’s a must.”

Stateroom safety is another area Lipcon touches on. “Never open your door to strangers,” he writes. All valuables should be locked in a safe and guard your key card, just as you would your credit card ashore.

That said, the vast majority of passengers never experience any problems aboard, except perhaps for spending more than they intended.

Cruise line representatives say crimes on board are extremely rare. Quoting from testimony at last year’s Congressional hearings, Michael Crye, executive vice president of the Cruise Line Industry Association, said that of the 4.4 million passengers who sailed from April to Aug. 24 in 2007, only .01 percent were involved in reported incidents.

While Lipcon’s recitation of what can happen aboard ship can sound intimidating, the attorney said the intent of his book is not to scare people away from taking a cruise, but to send them off with their eyes open.

* Disclaimer required by the Florida Bar: The numbers above are the gross recoveries, before deduction for attorneys fees and expenses. Most cases result in a lower recovery. It should not be assumed that your case will have as beneficial a result.